Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/871976
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 18, 2017 29 "They were quick, they were big, they were good with their hands and they had a good game plan. They played their hearts out today, and so did we. It came down to execution, and we didn't get the job done." For McGlinchey and the Irish line it was all about finishing. There were moments when the Irish line was able to create initial movement, but the inability to stay locked onto those blocks limited the effectiveness of the run game. "Just finishing off blocks, finish- ing off runs," McGlinchey said of the failed offensive execution. "There were some passes that were there that didn't happen. Just the little things. "There were things that hap- pened throughout the day that we just didn't take advantage of, and we have to be better than that." McGlinchey gave up a sack on the final Irish offensive play of the game, allowing senior outside linebacker Devin Bellamy to sack Wimbush and knock the ball out, which ended Notre Dame's comeback attempt. "We had them for the most where we wanted them all game," Mc- Glinchey said of the final play. "It came down to execution, and I blew it on the play. I got beat and caused the fumble, and there are no excuses." GROWING PAINS Junior quarterback Brandon Wim- bush was one of the standouts in Notre Dame's season-opening 49-16 win over Temple, passing for 184 yards and adding another 106 on the ground. Against Georgia, Wimbush was far less effective. The Bulldog pres- sures kept him from getting into a rhythm, and when the opportuni- ties did come the multi-skilled junior came up short. "There's always going to be a few plays that really would have swayed the game in a different direction than it happened to go," Wimbush said after the game. "Maybe my third down, maybe my third-and-two, un- derstanding where the chains are, picking up that first down. "I know there are a few others that I'll go back and watch the film and want back." Wimbush is referring to a third-and- three play almost midway through the fourth quarter with Notre Dame holding onto a 19-17 lead. The Irish quarterback kept the ball on a read play and instead of cutting upfield for a potential first down, Wimbush bounced outside and was brought down short of the marker. Despite that failure, and the inabil- ity of the offense to score a single point on its three possessions during the final 8:30 of the game, head coach Brian Kelly likes what he is seeing from his young quarterback. "I love the way he goes out there and competes, but there are things happening for the first time that he's getting a chance to grow with," Kelly said. Wimbush played in just two games as a freshman in 2015, and the former top-100 recruit did not take a snap in 2016. Kelly knows that he has a talented player that is learning on the fly. "Our quarterback is learning the tools of the trade," Kelly said. "He's getting different looks and different reads. They brought a lot of pressure. They didn't want to get him out on the edge. I thought he learned a lot tonight. "This is a great game for him to grow from." NOTRE DAME VS. GEORGIA QUARTER-BY-QUARTER COMPARISON Notre Dame 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Total Time of Possession 7:52 6:29 5:39 7:18 14:21 12:57 27:18 Third-Down Conversions 0-4 0-4 1-4 2-5 0-8 3-9 3-17 Fourth-Down Conversions 0-0 0-0 1-1 0-0 0-0 1-1 1-1 Average Field Position ND-20 ND-37 ND-27 ND-23 ND-30 ND-25 ND-28 Georgia 1st Qtr. 2nd Qtr. 3rd Qtr. 4th Qtr. 1st Half 2nd Half Final Time of Possession 7:08 8:31 9:21 7:42 15:39 17:03 32:42 Third-Down Conversions 0-3 3-6 0-3 1-5 3-9 1-8 4-17 Fourth-Down Conversions 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 Average Field Position UGA-25 UGA-37 UGA-27 UGA-37 UGA-31 UGA-32 UGA-31 PLAY CHART (NO. OF PLAYS) Yards ND UGA (-) Yards 6 11 0-5 Yards 52 40 6-9 Yards 8 9 10-19 Yards 6 6 20-29 Yards 3 2 30-39 Yards 2 3 40-49 Yards 0 1 50 or more Yards 0 0 RED ZONE EFFICIENCY (INSIDE 20-YARD LINE) No Poss. TD FG Score Notre Dame 3 1 2 0 Georgia 4 2 2 0 Junior quarterback Brandon Wimbush struggled in his second start, netting one-yard on 16 car- ries and losing two fumbles on sacks. PHOTO BY BILL PANZICA BIG PLAYS (25 YARDS OR MORE) Notre Dame • 1-10 ND42 Wimbush pass complete to Smith for 29 yards to the UGA29 • 2-15 UGA37 Wimbush pass complete to Adams for 32 yards to the UGA5, PENALTY UGA face mask (D. Sanders) 3 yards to the UGA2 • 2-8 ND38 Wimbush pass complete to Mack for 32 yards to the UGA30 Georgia • 1-10 UGA20 Nick Chubb rush for 30 yards to the 50-yard line • 1-10 ND43 Jake Fromm pass complete to Terry Godwin for 31 yards to the ND12 • 3-16 UGA19 Jake Fromm pass complete to Riley Ridley for 14 yards to the UGA33 (Love), PENALTY ND personal foul (Okwara) 15 yards to the UGA48 • 2-10 UGA48 D'Andre Swi rush for 40 yards to the ND12, PENALTY ND face mask (Studs ll) 6 yards to the ND6 • 1-10 ND48 Jake Fromm pass complete to Javon Wims for 31 yards to the ND17